What Alice Forgot

When Alice hits her head at the gym, she awakens, believing she’s a decade younger than she actually is. In the aftermath of her accident, Alice must try to figure out how she went from a happily married new mom to the brink of divorce. In other words, she’s lost a lot more than her memories.

This story makes you take a long, honest look at your life and consider all the people and things you’ve taken for granted. With a little mystery, a bit of romance, and a lot of humor, this novel tops my favorites list when it… show more.

Moriarty unfolded the plot page by page, so I couldn't look away. I was busy collecting drops of information and piecing the story together the whole time. Rather than dropping giant twists at intervals, this book rolled out all the important information and surprises on every page, and I was glued to the story. The main characters were so much fun, and Alice's little quirks and mannerisms were so close to my own that I felt like I was reading to see how my own story would unfold. It was mesmerizing!

While Moriarity is known for Big Little Lies and more recent works, this earlier novel pulls no punches in telling the story of Alice, a perpetually dissatisfied and grumbling suburban mom who lives a comfortable and privileged life but feels chronically annoyed by the daily grind of parenting, household, volunteering, and keeping up with the competition.

Readers will recognize her descent into a rabbit hole fuelled by the stresses of competitive parenting. The jokes are sharp, characters relatable and the payoff of psychological growth makes for a worthwhile read. 

I love an unreliable narrator, and what’s more unreliable than a woman who has lost her memory? Liane Moriarty is masterful in giving the reader just enough information to follow along in the mystery with Alice as she tries to puzzle together what’s happened to her life in the ten years she’s “lost.” The story is thought-provoking in the best way, forcing the reader to think about how we all sometimes get stuck in a rut that might lead to a place we never really felt we chose. It made me wonder what me ten years ago would think if… show more.

This is such a unique plot! And it reminds me a little of my own novel, so double points. This second chance married romance happens because Alice gets a brain injury and loses 10 years. She thinks she has a happy marriage, not that she’s going through a divorce. She doesn’t remember her three kids! It’s a fun twist on a popular trope. You could say many authors use the amnesia plotline but it’s so satisfying when done well!